HR

Outgoing Foreign Office permanent secretary stresses the need for “balance” between the centre of government and individual departments ahead of further reforms

Justice secretary stresses that departmental non-execs – designed to sharpen outside scrutiny of Whitehall – are ministerial appointments, after overseeing shake-up of MoJ board

Strike thresholds and curbs to the political levy among measures set to feature in new bill

Throughout his premiership, David Cameron’s inner circle has remained remarkably consistent. Historian and author Anthony Seldon runs through the men and women who make 10 Downing Street tick

Cabinet secretary stresses that spending review will allow departments to make "considered decisions" on "size and shape of their workforces"

Union calls on Scots finance minister John Swinney to reject Chancellor's one per cent public sector payrise cap north of the border

Chancellor uses first Conservative-only Budget to announce four more years of public sector pay restraint

UK’s representative to the UN Sir Mark Lyall-Grant will succeed Sir Kim Darroch as David Cameron’s national security adviser

"Robespierre terror" of Public Accounts Committee under former chair Margaret Hodge will be copied by more MPs, former health secretary warns officials

Sir David Normington eyes candidates with private sector experience as body overseeing civil service appointments seeks new commissioners

Richard Heaton to succeed Ursula Brennan as MoJ permanent secretary, while civil service chief executive John Manzoni given Heaton's Cabinet Office perm sec remit

Cabinet Office announces that Hill – Defra's perm sec since 2011 – will be succeeded by the DfT's Clare Moriarty

Channel 4’s new comedy pokes fun at Whitehall, but it’s more Skins than The Thick of It, says Sarah Aston

Report by the National Audit Office says centre of government must do more to ensure departments make better use of information about outsourced public services, including standardising data and improving Whitehall skills

DCMS permanent secretary Sue Owen will succeed Simon Fraser in role coordinating Whitehall's efforts to boost diversity, while the MoD's Jon Thompson handed remit to encourage people from lower-income backgrounds into the civil service

Future Reserves 2020 moves from "Amber/Red" to "Red" rating in Major Projects Authority's latest assessment, but Ministry of Defence says scheme "on schedule to realise its benefits"

Report by the National Audit Office says Cabinet Office’s Talent Action Plan on Whitehall diversity needs measures “to track progress and help sustain momentum”

Cabinet secretary says Civil Service Awards provide rare opportunity for “boasting” about achievements

Special report: Ministers made bold promises about the impact of mutualisation on civil service pensions. But as Matt Foster reports, administrator MyCSP has left some retired officials tearing their hair out

Permanent secretary Sir Simon Fraser tells CSW the FCO must have “a comparable offer” with other departments

BIS perm sec Martin Donnelly requests rare "letter of direction" from minister Sajid Javid after raising value-for-money concerns over plan to gift extra shares to Royal Mail staff

Study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies raises concern over private sector's ability to absorb public sector job losses

National Audit Office finds £3.2bn training programme will "not be running at full capacity until 2019"

Security review calls for “comprehensive and comprehensible new law” to govern security agencies’ surveillance powers